The scanning acoustic microscope - an instrument utilizing acoustic waves with wavelengths near those of visible light - should be used to study the internal structures of selected cells. The elastic and viscoelastic properties of this region are revealed in the acoustic micrographs and the additional information that can come from these studies makes it an important tool for biomedical research. The instrument in its present form is capable of revealing details on a scale comparable to that of the optical microscope. We propose a program of research centered on this form of instrumentation. We have chosen several problem areas to carry out this work - areas centered on cell cultures, fixed cells and other biological material. The program will include a good deal of work both on the theory of this new form of imaging and the properties of the instrument itself as used to study biomedical proglems.